Authorities have officially given notice to Yulia Tymoshenko that she is now accused of murdering a business rival in 1996. She is alleged to have ordered and organized a contract style hit on Yvhen Scherban, his wife, and two other people.

Tymoshenko has not been formally charged with the murder, but charges are likely to come, according to the prosecution. The case has been under investigation for months. Yulia says she is innocent and the incarceration is all part of a move by President Viktor Yanukovych to keep her out of politics.

Yulia Tymoshenko is currently in jail for “abuse of office” in connection to a gas deal with Russia from 2009. The new accusations are said to be a potential breeding ground for upsetting ties with Western nations, which have condemned Yulia’s imprisonment as politically motivated. The European Union (EU) has in fact put the brakes on a cooperation deal with Ukraine over the situation. Tymoshenko’s party has openly condemned the present allegations:

“A shameful day in the history of the Ukrainian law enforcement system. Their fear has paralyzed their mind. They are no longer hiding the fact that they want to lock away for life not only the leader of the opposition, but also the whole of Ukraine.”

The EU Court of Human Rights will be ruling on the case within the next month and analysts have said they believe the murder case was brought on simply to keep her in jail for the Presidential campaign in 2015, in case the court rules in her favor on the abuse of office conviction.

Vadim Karasyov, a political analyst speaking of the case, says:

“It is evident that the Ukrainian authorities are really and seriously intent on keeping Tymoshenko in jail.”

Yulia Tymoshenko’s friends and family have said they are worried about her health. She is receiving hospital treatment for a severe back condition and her lawyer stated Friday that she was unresponsive for several minutes. Doctors chalk it up to the sedatives she’s taking and have called her condition “satisfactory.” Yulia Tymoshenko’s office has said they’ve been unable to get in touch with her since then to inquire about her physical condition.

The Ukrainian Parliament again stalled the vote today on releasing Yulia Tymoshenko to assist in the endangered deal with the European Union.

So what do you think? Was Yulia Tymoshenko taken to jail for political reasons only?